Happiness As A Part Of Self Love

HAPPINESS AS A PART OF SELF LOVE:

Hello! And welcome back!

Today’s topic as clearly stated above is Happiness. One word and yet so powerful, so meaningful, so significant and so very important. I have to say this because it’s a fact, not everyone is happy. A lot of individuals out there have never known what happiness is or what it means to be happy. A lot of people are going through life, not really living because they are not happy. They don’t know how to be happy. They can’t fathom what the word is or what the emotion feels like. And sadly, I used to be one of these people. I was not happy. I was not happy with life, I was not happy with myself, I was not happy with anything or anybody. I was just living each day as it came, one day at a time, going through the motions, unfeeling. Hardly smiling or laughing. Just existing and not really living. It got to a point, I would cry myself to sleep every night, cry in the shower, fell into very deep depression, was even suicidal and was just always angry all the time. It took a lot of work on myself to get to the point I am today. Today and everyday, I wake up with a purpose every morning,smiling and laughing, happy with myself, happy with my life. I speak only positive words to myself. ‘I am great’ ‘I am beautiful’ ‘I am perfect just as God made me’ ‘I am love’ ‘I attract good things’ ‘ Good things only happen to me’ ‘I am the best’. And then I confess my love for me as often as I can. ‘I Love you so much Jennie’. ‘You are the best thing to ever happen to me Jennie’ ‘You are the best part of me Jennie’ ‘You are God’s greatest creation Jennie’. These exercises of daily positive affirmations have helped me a great deal. I say them, I believe them and then I accept them. So, in this episode again, I’ll share a few knowledgeable words and ideas on this topic and hope that my words will spark something deep inside you as you read, motivate you to work on yourself and help you find your true happiness all on your own and maybe encourage someone, help them find their own happiness, help them find their purpose.

Happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment:

This relates to how satisfied you feel with different areas of your life including your relationships, work, achievements, and other things that you consider to be important to you. One very important thing to remember is that happiness isn’t a state of constant euphoria. Instead, happiness is an overall sense of experiencing more positive emotions than negative ones.

SIGNS OF HAPPINESS:

1.Feeling like you are living the life you have always wanted.

2.Feeling that the conditions of your life are good, good to you, good for you.

3.Feeing that you have accomplished (or will accomplish) what you want in life.

4.Feeling satisfied with your life and with yourself.

5.Feeling positive more than negative towards life and yourself.

I’m going to deviate a little bit and go into the types/kinds of happiness that we have to further broaden our minds and knowledge on happiness:

Greek philosopher Aristotle made a distinction between two different kinds of happiness: Hedonia and Eudaimonia.

Hedonia: Hedonic happiness is derived from pleasure. It is most often associated with doing what feels good, self-care, fulfilling desires, experiencing enjoyment, and feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Eudaimonia: This type of happiness is derived from seeking virtue and meaning. Important components of eudaimonic well-being including feeling that your life has meaning, value, and purpose. It is associated more with fulfilling responsibilities, investing in long-term goals, concern for the welfare of other people, and living up to personal ideals.

Hedonia and eudemonia are more commonly known today in psychology as pleasure and meaning, respectively. More recently, psychologists have suggested the addition of the third component that relates to engagement. These are feelings of commitment and participation in different areas of life.

Some emotions/feelings that are associated with happiness are:

Joy: A often relatively brief feeling that is felt in the present moment.

Excitement: A happy feeling that involves looking forward to something with positive anticipation.

Gratitude: A positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative.

Pride: A feeling of satisfaction in something that you have accomplished.

Optimism: This is a way of looking at life with a positive, upbeat outlook.

Contentment: This type of happiness involves a sense of satisfaction.

Below are a few ideas I’ll like to share with y’all to help you begin to attain personal happiness:

Pursue Intrinsic Goals:

Achieving goals that you are intrinsically motivated to pursue, particularly ones that are focused on personal growth and community, can help boost happiness. Research suggests that pursuing these types of intrinsically-motivated goals can increase happiness more than pursuing extrinsic goals like gaining money or status.

Enjoy the Moment:

Studies have found that people tend to over earn—they become so focused on accumulating things that they lose track of actually enjoying what they are doing.

So, rather than falling into the trap of mindlessly accumulating to the detriment of your own happiness, focus on practicing gratitude for the things you have and enjoying the process as you go.

Reframe From Negative Thoughts:

When you find yourself stuck in a pessimistic outlook or experiencing negativity, look for ways that you can reframe your thoughts in a more positive way.

Now, Let’s discuss the positive effect of happiness on us when we begin to experience it at its best form:

Impact of Happiness;

Happiness has been shown to predict positive outcomes in many different areas of life.

Positive emotions increase satisfaction with life:

Happiness helps people build stronger coping skills and emotional resources.

Positive emotions are linked to better health and longevity. One study found that people who experienced more positive emotions than negative ones were more likely to have survived over a 13 year period.

Positive feelings increase resilience: Resilience helps people better manage stress and bounce back better when faced with setbacks. For example, one study found that happier people tend to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and that these benefits tend to persist over time.

People who reportedly have a positive state of well-being are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as eating fruits and vegetables and engaging in regular physical exercise.

Being happy may help you get sick less often. Happier mental states are linked to increased immunity.

How to Be a Happier Person;

1.Get Regular Exercise

Even a little bit of exercise produces a happiness boost. People who were physically active for as little as 10 minutes a day or who worked out only once a week had higher levels of happiness than people who never exercised.

2.Find and do what makes you happy as often as you can.

3.Love yourself above all else.

3.Learn appreciate everyone and everything.

4.Think positively.

5.Believe in you and what you are capable of.

6.Show Gratitude.

7.Find a Sense of Purpose.

Challenges of Finding Happiness;

A.Valuing the Wrong Things

B.Believing that your happiness is linked to someone or believing that certain relationships or individuals are what will make you happy. You are WRONG. You are the only responsible for your happiness.

C.Thinking of Happiness as an Endpoint

Happiness isn’t a goal that you can simply reach and be done with. It is a constant pursuit that requires continual nurturing and sustenance.

That will be all for now on this topic, there is a high chance we will get back to it again soon. Thank you for spending a moment with Jennie! I hope my words have been of help to someone today. Let’s spend more intimate time together and share more thoughts and ideas with each other. Thanks for reading!